Hebel makes change to find her fit on SHSU team

By Sam Waller

The biggest thing Elia Hebel learned during her freshman year of college was how to find the right place for herself.

That involved changing schools and positions, but the former Albany softball standout feels she found her spot.

Hebel, a 2021 Albany graduate, signed with Louisiana-Lafayette after a high school career that saw her help the Lady ­Lions reach the state tournament and earn first-team all-state honors for herself. But her stay in Louisiana ended before she played her first game. She wound up transferring to Sam Houston State University for the 2022 season.

Simply making the move from a Class 2A high school to a Division I college program was a big adjustment, Hebel admitted. At Albany, she was an acknowledged team leader with significant influence on the team’s direction.

Even during the times when she was injured and couldn’t be an active player, Hebel helped the Lady Lions in other ways.

“Coach (Jimmy) Fuentes is an amazing coach,” Hebel said. “He’s very open-minded, and he listened to a lot of what I had to say.”

At Louisiana, she was just another freshman.

“I learned that you have to deal with whatever is going on,” Hebel said. “You don’t have as much of a voice on the team because there are maybe 20 other players who are more experienced. You have no clue about how the program works, so you have to sit back and watch and figure out where you fit in.”

Hebel said the situation played a role in her decision to leave Lafayette for Huntsville.

“Part of the reason I transferred from Louisiana was because I couldn’t really find a fit,” she said. “As soon as I got to Sam Houston, I hit it off with everyone. I found where I fit pretty quickly after that.”

Even at that, it still took time for Hebel to find her place.

“At first, the coaches really wanted me to play first base, then they saw I was a lot better at third base,” she said. “When conference started, I switched over to third base permanently.”

Hebel appeared in 51 of 54 games for the Bearkats, starting 45. She batted .259 (36 for 139) with three doubles, eight home runs, 22 RBIs, and 14 walks. She posted a .912 fielding percentage with 40 putouts and 43 assists in 91 total chances.

She ranked in the team’s top five in average, slugging percentage, hits, total bases, RBIs, plate appearances, at bats, games played, fielding chances,  and assists.

And her production improved in almost every category in Western Athletic Conference play.

“It was a comfort-level thing,” Hebel said. “I knew I was able to play wherever I was on the field. I’ve played third base for so long, it was just knowing that I knew what I was doing, and that gave me the confidence to really excel at that point.”

Sam Houston State finished 15-39 overall and 8-16 in WAC play. With three years of eligibility remaining, Hebel is confident she can help the Bearkats enjoy success in the future.

“I want to step up and help the team,” she said. “I want to be come more of a leader on the field so we can lead the team in a better direction.”

Elia is the daughter of Kirk and Rose Hebel of Albany.